Not-for-profit group Singing Wells travelled throughout the African continent with a pair of AKG C414 XLS microphones to capture the melodies of the people of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and others. Singing Wells works to raise awareness and manage traditional East African music for future generations to listen, capturing the sounds of local musicians and offering young artists an opportunity to collaborate and incorporate traditional music into their own work. Beginning in 2011, with a successful pilot recording in the coastal province of Kenya, Singing Wells (a collaboration between UK-based charity Abubilla Music Foundation and Ketebul Music) provided engineers to help with audio and video recording during performances. “The time we spend in the field must be used productively, so being able to set up quickly and capture as many high-quality recordings as possible was an important factor when considering microphones,” said Singing Wells’ Andy Patterson. “I’ve used AKG throughout my entire career for vocals, guitars, overheads and ambients in various studios and they have never disappointed.” “The C414s produce a reliable image and balance of the sound, which we complemented with extra lapel and spot mics,” Patterson continued. “We are confident that in the event of failure of the other microphones, we will have an accurate stereo recording from the main pair of AKG C414 mics as a fallback if necessary. In such differing outdoor environments, I was worried we might suffer equipment failures, but the C414s have never let us down.” Singing Wells pays a gratuity to all artists for their recording time and in the event any money is made from the recordings, royalties are also paid. “We see ourselves not just as archivists and seed collectors, but as cultivators and seed planters, helping to conserve and grow this magical type of performance,“ concluded Patterson. “The next stage in our project is to try and raise the profile of Singing Wells and the musicians we have recorded. We’ve worked with amazing artists, and anyone in any culture can surely appreciate and respect their passion.” www.akg.com www.singingwells.org